RACY • E-FREE TRANSLATION.COM • Definition of Racy

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/rˈeɪsi/ Listen

adjective

Racy adj. (compar. racier; superl. raciest)

1.

Having a strong flavor indicating origin; of distinct characteristic taste; tasting of the soil; hence, fresh; rich. "The racy wine, Late from the mellowing cask restored to light."

2.

Hence: Exciting to the mental taste by a strong or distinctive character of thought or language; peculiar and piquant; fresh and lively; vigorous; spirited. "Our raciest, most idiomatic popular words." "Burns's English, though not so racy as his Scotch, is generally correct." "The rich and racy humor of a natural converser fresh from the plow."

3.

Somewhat suggestive of sexual themes; slightly improper; risqué.

Synonyms: Spicy; spirited; lively; smart; piquant; risqué. Racy, Spicy. Racy refers primarily to that peculiar flavor which certain wines are supposed to derive from the soil in which the grapes were grown; and hence we call a style or production racy when it "smacks of the soil," or has an uncommon degree of natural freshness and distinctiveness of thought and language. Spicy, when applied to style, has reference to a spirit and pungency added by art, seasoning the matter like a condiment. It does not, like racy, suggest native peculiarity. A spicy article in a magazine; a spicy retort. Racy in conversation; a racy remark. "Rich, racy verses, in which we The soil from which they come, taste, smell, and see."

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Etymology of 'Racy'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Racy" Quotes from Famous Books

... constantly in the public eye. Her house, during the hours at any rate in which her boy was at school, was little else than a halting-place between two journeys. Visits to the poor, long watches by the sick; committees, in which her racy breadth of character gave her always an important place; discussions with the vicar, arguments with the curates, a chat with this person and a walk with that—these were the incidents and occupations which filled her day. Life was ...

— Robert Elsmere • Mrs. Humphry Ward

... more important part in our literary world. 'The Australasian', 'Sydney Mail' and 'Queenslander' have done a good deal to encourage local writers, but the most powerful influence has been that of 'The Bulletin', started in Sydney in 1880. Its racy, irreverent tone and its humour are characteristically Australian, and through its columns the first realistic Australian verse of any importance — the writings of Henry Lawson and A. B. Paterson — became widely known. When published in book form, their verses met with phenomenal success; ...

— An Anthology of Australian Verse • Bertram Stevens

... usual racy style Phoebe Couzins concluded her description by saying: "It seems very strange that when you are not about, things generally break loose and no woman can be found who unites the moderation, brains and common sense necessary to carry matters to a respectable conclusion. ...

— The Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony (Volume 1 of 2) • Ida Husted Harper

... proved that you've got the goods," declared Campbell, senior. "If you do as well in the big game I might be favorable toward giving you that racy runabout you've been nagging ...

— The Mark of the Knife • Clayton H. Ernst

... his legs on the thick buffalo-skin which served as a rug to his cosy dining-room fire-place. "I'll continue the narrative as old Short told it to me, though not exactly in his own words, for those I cannot pretend to repeat—I cannot even hope to imitate his quaint expressions and racy humour. Noggin stood the attacks of his tormentors with as much heroism as could the most stoical of red warriors. We longed to rush in to his rescue, but we knew full well that the attempt would be worse than useless, and we should inevitably lose our own lives and not save his. ...

— Dick Onslow - Among the Redskins • W.H.G. Kingston

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